Haeran Ryu Fires 8-Under 64 With Two Eagles to Seize Lead in South Korea

GWANGJU, South Korea — Haeran Ryu produced a spectacular round of golf on Friday, carding two eagles and birdies on her final two holes for an 8-under 64 that gave her a two-stroke lead after 36 holes of the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach.

The world No. 3, who has already won two major championships this season, reached 13-under 131 through two rounds on the links-style course. Minsum Kim matched Ryu's bogey-free 64 and sat tied for second with American Lauren Coughlin, who shot 66. European Solheim Cup player Julia Lopez Ramirez carded 67, while Australia's Karis Davidson, the first-round co-leader, shot 68; both were tied for fourth, three strokes behind. Defending champion Sei Young Kim posted 67 and was at 5-under.

Ryu admitted she was nervous about the conditions but thrived as the wind settled. "Today was an amazing day because I really worried about the wind but today's wind is much better than yesterday, so that's why I hit a lot of greens today," she said. "I'm so happy to be on top of the leaderboard, because last year, I'm not doing well this tournament."

With unsettled weather forecast for the weekend, Ryu is hoping to carry her form into the final two rounds of the second event on the LPGA's late-season Asian swing, which continues next week with the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ruoning Yin, who won last week's tournament in Shanghai, is not in this week's field.